Students will soon be able to rent textbooks through Amazon

Amazon is currently beginning a new program that will see students having the option of renting a textbook through the company, versus having to purchase them outright. Amazon's new textbook rental program would allow students to save up to 70% from the normal cost of the textbook.

Amazon already provides t-textbook rentals, but this new program would fix the lack of a sizeable Amazon presence in the physical textbook sector. The service would see students use Amazon's site to find needed texts within their ISBNs. Students that have already registered with Amazon Student would be eligible for free two-day shipping, where other students would have their books shipped by Amazon's usual standard rates and delivery times.

The textbook rentals would be for 130 days, with an automatic 15-day extension period if the book isn't received on time. After this 15-day extension, Amazon will then charge the student for the purchase of the book outright, minus any rental and extension fees. Amazon goes as far as allowing students to write and highlight in their rented books, but Amazon asks that they keep these additions to a minimum in order to prolong the usability of the text.